


Kingdom of the Damned

by orphan_account



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Kingdom, F/M, False Identity, Historical Inaccuracy, Lord Dean, M/M, Multipal Flase Identities, Prince Castiel, Wordcount: 10.000-30.000, almost everyone has one, as in, mainly Castiel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-26
Updated: 2015-07-26
Packaged: 2018-04-11 08:32:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4428521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel Novak, the brother of king Lucifer, turned twenty-five and was to be married immediately for the sake of the crown. This wasn't what he wanted, but he must follow the orders of the king.<br/>Dean Winchester, son of John Winchester of the Winchester house, was not happy to hear he might have to marry someone who was probably some sixty-year-old creep. And, if it came between him and his brother Sam, there was no doubt Dean would bite the bullet.<br/>But maybe the arrangement wouldn't be too bad.<br/>(I'm terrible at summaries sorry)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kingdom of the Damned

**Author's Note:**

> And here you have it folks: Kingdom of the Damned- full length!  
> I can't believe I seriously just finished this holy cow, but, it's here!  
> Enjoy!  
> (Also, there are a lot of historical inaccuracies, don't hate me)

It was finally Castiel's turn. Not in an exciting way, just in a way that means he'd finally get it over with.

He was summoned to the great hall, where his brother Lucifer, the king, sat next to Naomi, his wife. It was just another normal Tuesday, late morning, right after breakfast. They were both wearing their royal garments, Lucifer in his dark blue robes and Naomi in her own dark blue dress. They didn't bother with their crowns that morning just for the conversation.

"Castiel," Lucifer said, "please, come forth." Castiel bowed and straightened himself before he walked forward, feeling a little out of place with his simple dark waistcoat. He decided not to share that thought with his brother. "As you obviously know," Lucifer started, "you've just celebrated your twenty-fifth birthday last week." He waited a moment for Castiel to nod- of course he knew he had just celebrated his birthday. "As you also may know, we've been dealing with problems coming from our neighboring kingdom," Lucifer continued. He stopped to give Castiel a questioning look.

Of course Castiel knew about those problems- he'd been actively involved with these problems for the past two months. The house of Winchester insisted on building a wall to divide their kingdom and the territory that belonged to the house of Novak, the house that holds the biggest kingdom in the continent. The house of Novak found this a rude gesture and began to argue with the other house. These disputes have not been very famous, but are known and have been a pain in Castiel's ass for the past few weeks.

"We've reached an agreement," Lucifer said, "they will bring down the wall if we agree to give them a portion of land. If we give them this land, they will be happy to build a route from their own kingdom to ours."

"Which will improve our trade," Castiel finished Lucifer's thought, "I understand, what does this have to do with my age?"

Lucifer smirked a bit, he might be the king, but his younger brother was defiantly sharp enough to take over for him if ever needed. At this point, Naomi decided to speak, "the land is on the border, near your portion." Castiel raised an eyebrow, a frown on his face, "Do you expect me to hand over my portion to the house of Winchester?" he asked as anger and confusion filled him.

"No, we would never do such thing," Lucifer said, "besides, we cannot do that. You are of direct relation to the king, you must have land- it is the law. But we do need the control to be partial with the house of Winchester."

That was the moment it hit Castiel, "you expect me to marry a Winchester." He said. It wasn't a question, so he didn't pose it as one. "We don't expect anything," Naomi said a bit coldly- Castiel never really liked her- "we merely ask you to get involved with a Winchester, not necessarily marriage, although marriage would be optimal."

Castiel sighed, "Let me guess- you'll control every aspect of our relationship." He almost rolled his eyes but stopped himself, acutely aware that he was, after all, talking to the king.

"Again, not necessarily," Naomi said, shooting daggers at him from her eyes, "but the family will be invited for our annual ball. You will keep the Winchesters entertained with the help of your siblings, but since you're the only one besides Annabelle who isn't married and it is your land we're discussing here, you will be the one destined to be partnered with one of them." There were a few silent seconds when Castiel tried not to laugh or make a sarcastic remark before Lucifer took a deep breath and said, "next week we'll be holding the ball. I have people already arranging it. You may go now."

Castiel bowed again, turned around and walked out of the room, feeling a little like a piece of meat but instead chose to focus on the class he's supposed to teach soon and how he should probably get going if he wanted to make it on time.

***

Dean was not a happy camper. "You're kidding me," he said, "I need to go and meet those idiots who only care about themselves?" he asked, looking at his mother, sitting at the other end of the long dining room table. Sam and John went out a few minutes ago to have the same conversation Dean and Mary were having at the moment.

"I'm sorry, honey," she said, "but we need that land, and you know it'll give us the foot in the door for a peace treaty." Dean crossed his arms over his chest, clearly unhappy, "I don't want to meet the guy who's gonna marry someone from my family. I just know he's gonna be creepy and turning eighty and I can't think of how he might actually marry Jo."

His mother opened her mouth for a second but clamped it shut a second later. Dean narrowed his eyes, noticing the guilty look in her eyes, "mom," he said firmly, "what are you hiding from me?" he asked in a demanding yet calm voice.

"Well," Mary started, placing both of her hands on the table, like she did when she was trying to act cool and collected, "Jo is a Harvelle, and as much as she is part of our house, she isn't related to us by blood." She looked up at Dean, whose eyes widened in horror.

"You can't be serious," he said, "no way." He got up, "nor I nor Sammy will marry that eighty-year-old douche, and sure as hell Adam won't- he's just seventeen!" He got up so he could storm out of the room, but Mary was already standing and blocking the door.

There was sadness in her eyes, "Dean," she said, "I promise you that the relationship will be to your liking. The Novak family already agreed that this arrangement will be merely for the public and you will be free to live where you wish and see who you wish, as long as it's discreet."

Dean was outraged, "What if I meet someone I want to be with in public?" he asked, "what if I fall in love with someone? What if I want to be able to hold their hand and kiss them in front of people at our monthly parties?" he gently moved his mother aside, leaving the room and walking outside. He needed to take off his stupid castle clothes and go out for a ride on his baby.

As he pulled on a long sleeved shirt there was a knock on the door. "Yes?" he called as he buttoned up all the buttons. A young male's voice came through the door, "I have a message for you, lord Winchester." Dean finished buttoning his shirt and opened the door, "who is it from?" he asked. The young man that stood outside the room bowed and then straightened himself, extending the arm that held the parchment, "I have an urgent message from Samuel Winchester." Dean took the rolled up paper and read it. 

_Dad and I took our horses on a ride. I'm at the academia, but I don't think I want to stay for the lecture. Please come here I don't know the way back_ _._

He nodded and rolled the paper again, handing it back to the messenger before he went to his bed and shrugged his brown leather vest on. He tied his boots quickly and ran down the stairs and through the main doors of their estate.

His horse was waiting at the stable and he mounted her quickly before starting his fast-paced ride to academia, which was across the border and could be accessed to by horse only by side roads. His beautiful black beauty- named Impala- raced through the woods, knowing the trail well from the time Dean spent in academia.

He got to the grounds, the guard recognizing him and letting him through. He handed Impala over to one of the stable boys, looked him sternly in the eyes and said in his most intimidating voice, "If she comes back with a single scratch or speck of dirt I will find you and I will kill you." And, before the young man could reply, Dean was off in search of Sam. 

He wandered around for a while, looking at the regular spots where Sam usually waited for him, but he couldn't find him. After a few minutes, he decided to just go into the main building and check if he changed him mind and went to the lecture anyway.

The lecture hall was easy to find- there were signs signaling to it all over the building. Once he reached it, he looked through the huge wood doors and smirked.

He immediately noticed that Sam was sitting in the second row, completely enthralled by the professor. Sam left the house without his royal clothes and seemed almost normal in his green doublet, if it weren't for his tremendous height, which appeared as a problem to the short man who was sat behind him. Dean glanced around- the classroom was packed full, all eyes on the professor that was out of his view.

Dean smirked to himself even more as he ventured a little further into the classroom, standing just past the doorway. No one seemed to notice him. He glanced at the professor and his breath caught in his throat. Of course, no one noticed him- they probably all had their full attention on him.

The guy couldn't be old enough to be a professor, defiantly younger than thirty. He had dark hair, strands of which were standing up every which way. Not being able to notice any facial features from where he stood, Dean's gaze travelled a little lower, noting the professor's lean and fit figure and those slim fingers that were holding the man up against his mahogany desk. He was wearing a waistcoat- one that flattered his shape amazingly- and black dress pants that hugged his legs perfectly. Dean's eyes snapped back up to the back of the man's head.

Dean did not expect the low voice coming out of that lean man, and he didn't expect the beautiful way the man was reading some poem off a page, "I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz, or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off. I love you as certain dark things are to be loved, in secret, between the shadow and the soul. I love you as the plant that never blooms but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers; thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance, risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body," the professor begins, looking down at the page, capturing everyone as he speaks. "I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride; so I love you because I know no other way than this: where I does not exist, nor you, so close that your hand on my chest is my hand, so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep."

Dean stood there the whole time, staring at the man as those beautiful words flow out of his mouth. Dean had no idea how poetry was supposed to sound like, but if that was it, he would use a lot more of his free time to listening to poetry readings.

The students clapped once the professor was done. He, in return, smiled and said, "thank you, thank you," he bowed a little in a comical sense before he pushed himself up from the desk and asked, "so, who here is familiar with this sonnet?"

A few hands rose, including Sam's. The professor pointed at one of the students, "Yes, Joshua, could you please tell us who wrote this piece?" The guy smiled widely, apparently savoring the attention, before answering, "Pablo Neruda." The professor nodded, "correct, it is Neruda's seventeenth, a personal favorite. Now, who can tell me why we're reading this poem?"

Fewer hands rose at the question, Sam again between them. Dean smiled slightly and moved back a little, so he's better hidden in the shadow of the door. "Nicolas," the professor said, looking at the first row. A nervous young man bit his lip before saying, as sort of a question, "because Neruda is an important figure in this century's poetry?"

The professor nodded, "yes, he is. We're reading this poem because for the next four weeks we'll be focusing on love poems. Now, let's talk about this poem; what do you think…"

Dean didn't hear the rest of the sentence as he sneaked out of the room and walked out of the building, resorting to waiting in the stables instead of staring at strangely attractive professors.

***

"You're seriously stupid," Sam said as he got to the stables and noticed Dean, "you can't just check out my professor in front of me." He hit Dean on the shoulder and reached out to untie his own horse- a brown beauty named Riot.

"Hey!" Dean exclaimed as a reaction to the punch, "First off, I didn't think you even saw. Second, it's not my fault he's too attractive for his own good." Sam made a face and rolled his eyes, "you are not to date my professor, is that clear?" he asked, glaring as his brother petted Impala. "Fine, yeah, whatever," Dean mumbled, "besides, I thought you wanted to talk about this thing with mom and dad."

Sam nodded, quickly mounting Riot, "yeah, I did. This is crazy, right?" he asked. Dean got onto Impala and started them off at the direction of the side road. "It is," Dean confirmed, "they're expecting us to marry some creepy sixty-year-old." Sam snorted, "I don't think Castiel would be sixty."

"You got his name?" Dean asked, "all I got was a 'he's a Novak'." The two brothers rode in silence for a few more minutes before Sam finally said in a brave voice, "listen, Dean, I know things are proceeding with you and Lady Elizabeth. If I must, I'll marry Castiel." Dean stopped Impala suddenly, staring at his younger sibling for a few moments before resuming the walk, his head facing forward.

He took a deep breath and said, "Nothing is going on between me and Lisa. And hell will freeze over before I let you get married out of your free will." He finished his statement with a decisive noise, obviously meaning for the conversation to end.

"Dean," Sam said, "how about we go to this ball thing, meet the guy and then we'll decide. We could be friends with him, and whoever has more things in common with him would have less of a problem marrying him."

Dean hated how Sam was being rational and thought that Dean would let him marry someone this young, it won't happen, but he would entertain him for a while. He just nodded, before changing the subject, "so what do you feel like doing today?" he asked. Sam bit his lip before he sighed and said, "Well, there's this masquerade ball tonight, and I kind of want to go, but it's over at the Moore's land and I'm not so sure if it would be smart of a Winchester to lurk around there."

 "Sammy," Dean said fondly, "it's a masquerade ball- no one's going to know who you are. We could get masks at the town and head out after dinner. We deserve some fun before we meet the 'love of our life'," he said, making his voice sound almost too sarcastic at the last part. Sam smiled, "you think we could pull that off?" he asked.

"Of course," Dean replied, "come on, race you back to the estate!" He exclaimed before lurching forward, Impala racing forward with him, knowing him all too well. He heard a clumsy attempt on Sam's part of gaining speed, "I don't know the way!" he yelled from somewhere far behind Dean, who just laughed it off and sped up a little more.

***

This wasn't one of the places Castiel would usually find himself at. He let his friend, Balthazar, take him to some party over the border, one where they had to put masks on and dance and socialize. Usually, he would refuse with all his strength, but today, after finding out about how he was to be married and how he would meet his spouse next week, he was tired, and maybe a few drinks and someone to help him forget was the right way to do so.

It was a less than optimal plan, but Balthazar kept insisting, so Castiel figured he would at least try and have a good time. So he put on his favorite jacket, a black one with blue stripes and golden buttons. The collar was turned up and made Castiel seem like a respectable lord, not the brother of the king who should act as if he was above everyone else.

They rode past the border on their horses, using the darkness and a change of their voices and hair to trick the guards and let them pass. From there the ride was pleasurable, full of Balthazar's stories from the court preparing for the annual ball and Castiel's short commentary and notes.

They reached the estate in which the party was to be held- it was quite tall and had many windows. It was lit up from the inside and warm music flowed out to the quiet grounds surrounding them. They stopped in front of the stable, handing their horses to the boys at the place and placing their masks over their faces.

Balthazar selected a black one, gold lace surrounding it. It was decorated with black jewels and large dark feathers. The mask was nice, if a little extravagant, and covered almost all of his face, other than his mouth. Castiel's mask was a lot simpler- he wore a mask that came down until his nose, letting him breathe freely. It was a white mask, lined with dark blue and was held in place by a black strap that disappeared in the mess of his dark hair.

The pair walked into the estate- after Balthazar had a quick talk with the person standing before the doors, introducing them as James and Henry. The inside was large- obviously a ballroom.

There was a large chandelier hanging from the ceiling that lit up the entire space. To the far left corner was a stage, on it was an elevated platform, which a band was performing on, and they were playing music that was too soft for Castiel's ears but appeared acceptable for dancing. All around him were guests, dancing gracefully on the dance floor in a circle, an air of magic added by the spectacular dresses and elaborate masks. Servants were walking around the area, keeping out of the guests' way and carrying trays of food and drinks. Along the walls were couples or small groups speaking.

From where Castiel stood, at the top of a staircase, he could see everyone present and felt much better knowing there was probably someone he knew here but he couldn't recognize anyone, even those who only covered the top part of their faces like Castiel did.

The pair made their way down the stairs and immediately Balthazar went away to ask some woman standing alone if she cared to dance. She agreed, her purple mask bobbing slightly with the nod she gave him. They stepped onto the dance floor, her matching purple dress flowing around them gracefully. 

He decided to grab a glass of champagne and lean against a wall for a while, scouting the area for someone free for a dance. He took a sip, his eyes closing for a moment to savor the taste. When he opened them, he noticed someone looking at him. The man wore a suit, a suit finer than Castiel's, a suit that made every detail about his body seem prominent and important. He had a red mask on that came until his nose- like Castiel's, showing off a pair of soft looking lips. His mask was outlined by a black fabric Castiel thought was silk but couldn't tell from five feet away. The man had green eyes that could have entire sonnets written about, eyes so green they overshadowed every evergreen forest and every delicate leaf of a plant. His hair was brushed back and for the first time in a long time, Castiel felt a pull of attraction in his stomach.

The man approached Castiel, putting an empty flute on a tray near him without breaking eye contact. "Hey," he said, his voice sounded slightly forced- as if he was altering it, which reminded Castiel to alter his own. He smirked, "hello," he said in what he hoped was a slightly higher pitched voice than what he usually spoke in.

"How do you like the party so far?" The man asked, leaning against the wall beside Castiel. Castiel sighed, "I haven't been here nearly long enough to judge, but so far I don't find it too appealing. How about you?" he asked, taking another sip of champagne. The man laughed, "I got here about an hour ago. The dance partners aren't half bad, neither the food, but except for those two things, it's really boring." He shrugged and leaned towards a servant carrying a tray and grabbed a small sandwich before smiling and throwing it into his mouth, finishing it with one bite.

"I see," Castiel said, drinking from his glass again. There were a few moments of silence as Dean chewed and Castiel sipped. Then, Dean swallowed and asked, "Would you like to dance?"

Castiel smiled, "yes, I would." He put his glass down on some tray moving by and Dean wiped his fingers on a napkin he grabbed from another tray before he stepped onto the dance floor, followed by Castiel. The man took Castiel's hand in his own and place his other hand on his waist before biting his lip slightly, "uh… hey, do you know how to dance as the woman? It's just…" he trailed off, shrugging, Castiel just smiled, "no worries, I'm quite adaptable." He rested his hand on the man's shoulder and they waited three beats before joining the dance.

The man knew what he was doing- every step exactly how it should be, each switch and each graceful slide being delivered exactly. It wasn't awkward- not when there were pairs of both two men and two women dancing around, no one minded what they were doing.

"So what's your name?" The man asked as they turned and were faced to each other again. "James," Castiel answered, using the name he gave in the entrance. The man nodded, "I'm Dean." He replied, "but don't tell anyone," he said with a wink. Castiel nodded in understanding, "you're a very good dancer, Dean."

"Thank you," he said, "you're not too bad yourself, James." Castiel had no time to feel bad for giving the man a fake name as they turned and Dean dipped Castiel slightly, smiling at him. The music ended and there were a few seconds of silence before the next piece started. Neither made a move to leave, so they danced that dance, and the next one, and then the one after that, and the following dozen dances. They danced and talked and laughed and even bumped into another couple dancing once when they couldn't control their moves anymore since they were laughing too much.

"You're quite interesting, James," Dean said, spinning them once more, "to be honest, I didn't expect to have such a good night coming here." Castiel nodded, "I completely understand. This might be one of the best masquerade balls I've been to." He stepped back and half-turned just in time for Dean to follow and dip him slightly once more.

During their dances, they moved away from the main circle of dancers who kept switching partners and divide into rows to dance against. The two of them moved outside of the main dancing, to an area where few other couples were dancing and it was possible to have a conversation.

"So," Castiel said, "tell me something interesting about you. I mean, something really, really interesting, a secret almost." Dean raised an eyebrow as their hands came up to touch from elbow to the tips of their fingers and they moved in a small circle. "Why would I tell you a secret?" he asked, closing the circle so he could hold onto Castiel's waist once more, their hands moving to hold each other again.

Castiel smiled, expecting that response, "since you don't know who I am and I don't know who you are. Revealing secrets to strangers couldn't hurt you, especially if said stranger doesn't know who you really are." He punctuated his sentence with a spin and laughed as he was pulled back into their dance.

Dean seemed to think this over for a second before he hesitantly pressed closer to Castiel and whispered in his ear, "Sometimes I want things for myself," before he moved back slightly, a light blush blossoming on his half-hidden cheeks. Castiel smirked a little, leaning just slightly closer and asked, "And why is that a secret?"

The other man looked at Castiel for a moment before replying, as if rehearsed, "because it's selfish." Castiel looked at him for about a minute, still dancing, before saying, "being selfish is allowed. We are all selfish, that's how our lives work. Whoever told you that you're selfish is selfish himself. Take what you want, Dean, that's all we can do in this life, all you can have."

Dean looked at him for a second, just as Castiel caught sight of Balthazar making his way over. Castiel's eyes left his friend and focused on Dean's amazingly green eyes. "Yeah," Dean whispered before he leaned down and pressed his lips lightly against Castiel's. The kiss sent strong pulses of excitement through Castiel's body and he returned it. It was quite chaste, and only lasted a few seconds, but it was a good kiss. When they parted, Dean opened his mouth to say something, only to be cut off by Balthazar.

"Well, hello. We need to leave, Cinderella, the border will close soon," Balthazar said, holding Castiel's arm as started to drag him away. Dean was left there, standing on the dance floor, mouth opened to say something, eyes glued to Castiel's as Balthazar dragged him out and tried to ask him questions.    

Chapter Two

Dean wanted to punch something. He wanted to go and smash some windows he was so mad. One thing he asked for, one small thing, and even then the universe denied it from him. All he wanted was to get the real name of the blue eyed guy. He was sure it wasn't James. That name was far too ordinary for someone so… enticing. "James" was too much- not only was he drop dead gorgeous (from what Dean could see), he was also funny in a unique way and he could dance and hold a conversation in a really impressive manner and, above all, he made Dean feel like everything was simple and could be fixed. But it not everything could be fixed, mainly because Dean could never see "James" again.

It drove him up the wall knowing he probably won't meet the stranger again, and it wasn't like he would notice him on the street- all he had were his body, his eyes, and his lips. And those eyes… Dean could stare at them forever. The way they changed with each movement, one second they were the brightest blue he's ever seen, pure and amazing and the next second they would be as dark as the night, suggestive and mischievous and holding secrets Dean really wanted to know. So he couldn't even really rely on their color to find him.

The day after the ball he sat in his room, sulking, reading whatever books he could but not paying them any attention. There was a formal dinner later that day with representatives from Lucifer's court and Dean was instructed to wear his best suit and not go out for a ride with Impala for fear he might get injured or destroy his suit and neatly combed hair. Later that day, Sam walked into his room, followed closely by Jessica Moore, the lady whose family owned the mansion they visited the night before.

 "Hey Dean," Sam said, sitting on the couch in front of Dean's bed. Jessica sat next to him, her red and white dress draped elegantly around her. In response to his brother, Dean simply grunted. Sam gave him a wary look, "what is it?" he asked, his voice taking on a serious tone that meant feelings were to be discussed. It made Dean want to scream. 

But, knowing there was no hiding from Sam, Dean just sighed and said, "I met someone at that ball yesterday and I won't see him again and it's driving me insane." He sighed loudly again and a few seconds passed before Jessica smiled and said, "Yeah, Sam and I saw you two dancing together. What's his name?"

Dean looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "He said it was James, why?" he asked. Jessica chuckled and reached for the pocket of the jacket Sam put on the back of the couch for her. She pulled out a folded piece of paper and opened it carefully, "I did throw the party after all, and I still have the guest list from last night. James, you said? Any chance you caught a last name?" she asked, looking down the list with squinted eyes.

"No, uh… I didn't. But I think he came there with his friend," he replied, remembering the guy with the fancy mask that came and took James away. Jessica bit her lip, "okay, I have six couples in which one of the guests' names is James. What's his friend's name?" she asked. Dean opened and closed his mouth several times before he replied, "Damn, I don't know."

"What did the friend look like?" Sam asked, "Maybe one of us knows him?" he was now leaning closer to Jessica and getting a better look of the list. Dean closed his eyes tightly and tried to remember the other man, which was too hard considering he was watching James' lips and not the other man. "He was tall, a bit shorter than me but tall. As tall as James, I think. He had, like, either blond or light brown hair and his mask was really over the top. It had feathers on it."

Jessica smiled, "I know who you're talking about! His name's Balthazar. He signed in as Henry I think…" she checked the list, "yup, I have James and Henry written here. I can get the address if you give me a day. I'm sure I can track Balthazar down, just give me the word."

"I don't know," Dean said, "I mean- it's pretty obvious James used a fake name, right? What if he doesn't want to be found?" he asked, slightly scared of the answer. Jessica rolled her eyes, "or maybe he came to a masquerade ball for… I don't know… anonymity? Does that make sense to you?" she asked with a friendly sarcastic undertone to her words.  Dean bit his lower lip but nodded, "yeah, I guess it does. I'm just not sure. I want to see his again-" boy did he "-it's just that I don't want to impose, you know?" he asked with a shrug.

"Dean," Sam said in his serious voice, "It seemed like you two were pretty fond of each other when you danced. He probably wants to see you too," he then draped his arm around Jessica's shoulder and pulled her closer, which made both of them blush like twelve-year-old children holding hands for the first time.

Dean worried his lip between his teeth and considered the proposition for a while. "Fine, fine, I guess… before I meet my creepy future husband, I'll try and find James- whoever he is- and… we'll see." He finished his sentence with a sigh. Jessica beamed at him, "that's great, Dean! So, what's the plan?" she asked, leaning in as if she was an accomplice to a devious plan.

"We could go to this Balthazar guy and ask him about this James guy," Sam suggested, "you said you have his address." He looked down at the page again as Jessica nodded, "yeah, I do. What do you think, Dean?" she asked; her eyes wide and excited. "Um," Dean said unintelligently, "yeah. Yes, we could do that." He cleared his throat and got up, "what's the address?" he asked.

Jessica scanned the page for a second before her face fell and she scratched the back of her head, "uh, we have a flaw in the plan." She lifted the list so Dean could see. There, next to the names Henry Reese and James Reese was the address of 123 Gotohell, North. Dean groaned, "Why did they have to pull the fake address move?"

"There is another way you could see him," Jessica said nervously, "but it'll take a while."

Dean groaned again, "I meet my husband in a week and a half." He buried his face in his hands. "Sorry," she muttered, "we have another dance next month, but-" "It'll be too later," Dean completed, groaning once more and throwing himself dramatically backwards, "go figure- I finally feel something towards someone and they're just a little too late and came to the wrong place."

Sam gave him a sad look and said, "Hey, maybe this whole arranged married thing will work out, huh?" he asked. "I doubt it, Sammy," Dean said, "but enough about this horribly depressing subject. Do you want to do anything?" he asked, eager to do something except for lying in his bed and waiting for the sun to set so he could go to the dinner where he would talk to people about his future husband, who he'd never met and wouldn't even be present. 

"We could stick around, talk a little, play some games maybe," Jessica suggested. Same shook his head next to her, "you two go ahead, I need to rehearse a poem I'm reading for class." He pulled a rolled up parchment from the pocket of his jacket. Dean remembered something and suddenly he sat up straighter, remembering something Sam said a while back, "Sam" he said, "is this your poetry crap?" he asked. "Yeah," Sam said, "I have class later today- I'll be back just before the dinner. Dad's taking the carriage. Why?" he asked.

Dean was too excited. There was no way. It was possible, but the chance that it was true… he did have a similar body… It was a long shot, but Dean was willing to try. "I'll come with you," he said. Sam sighed, "Dean, no, I told you yesterday, professor-" he stopped his sentence in the middle, "oh shit. You think…?" he asked. Dean shrugged, "I dunno, but it's worth a try, right?" he said, already getting up, "and the carriage ride won't ruin my outfit. Let's go."

"What's happening?" Jessica asked, but she got up too. "I'll explain on our way," Sam said, "for now, let's get the carriage, I want to get to academia before class starts."

***

Castiel was preparing for his class. He'd been in a foul mood since he didn't even get to tell Dean his real name, but as much as he wanted, he couldn't. His name outside of court and his own mansion had always been James, and so it would stay. Even if Dean did ask for his real name, he wouldn't give it to him, not at a time so close to meeting his new husband.

He heard from Lucifer that a party had been sent to the Winchester estate to talk the terms of his marriage to one of the two lords he didn't know the name of. He wrote his own terms out since he had classes until late that day and couldn't attend the meeting himself. The terms had been sealed and will only be opened at the meeting. He was destined to meet the Winchester boys at the ball in a week or so and by then their terms should be clear.

He was just about to start writing today's schedule for the class when the large oak doors opened and revealed Samuel, one of Castiel's top students. "Hello Sam," he said and then he stopped, because behind Sam was another man- a tall man, with broad shoulders and light brown hair and a straight nose and soft lips and amazing green eyes. "Dean," he breathed out before he could stop himself. It really wasn't about to end well. Dean wore another fine suit, as he did the previous day. His hair was once again brushed back and he seemed a little too formal for what Castiel found him to be.

As much as he wanted to see Dean, he knew that Dean probably understood that James was Castiel's fake name, and he couldn't just insist it was. Damn it.

"James," Dean said, stepping away from Sam and heading straight into Castiel's personal space. There were mere inches of space between them as their eyes roamed over each other. Sam coughed awkwardly from somewhere behind them, "Uh, okay, Professor James. I'll, uh, be back in time for class." He was about to leave when Castiel tore his eyes off of him and asked, "Did you get your assignment done? Today you're reading in front of the class."

"Yeah, I do. See you," he said before disappearing behind the door. A moment later, the large oak doors made a sound of closing and Castiel moved his eyes back to Dean's. There was more silence, before Dean finally spoke, "that mask didn't do you justice," he said. Castiel looked down at his feet and bit his lip, "thank you, Dean. I- thank you. You also look good," he said, mentally slapping himself for being so awkward. He lifted his head to look back into Dean's eyes, "how did you find me?" he asked.

Dean smirked a little, "you were driving me crazy. I tried following you out to ask for your, uh, real name," they both blushed at that, "but I think I just stood there for a little too long, 'cause I didn't see you. Then, today, the girl whose family threw the party, uh, came by. I, uh, still don't know your real name, but I know Balthazar's real name or whatever. Then Sam realized that you had the same, uh, name as… on the list. And, well, I was here yesterday when I picked him up and I… saw you. You changed you voice, and I only got that on the ride here.  And, well, I remembered… checking you out. Yesterday. So I connected the dots and here I am, James. Or whatever you name is."

There was silence for a long time, Castiel wasn't sure how long. The cogs in his brain had been working double-time wrapping himself in this whole thing. Samuel was Dean's brother. Sam Wesson, his top pupil, who apparently came from a rich family and who was supposed to be the heir of the Wesson mansion one day. That meant that Dean Wesson, a rich man, who didn't recognize Castiel, wanted him. Well, Castiel couldn't just ruin this, whatever this was. He was supposed to meet his husband next week, and as much as he was drawn to Dean, he couldn't be with him. There was just no way.

"So," Dean said, cutting Castiel's possible comebacks short, "what is your real name?" He asked, leaning even closer. Castiel could smell Dean's soap and the lovely smell of the woods he must've traveled through to get to academia. Well, there was only thing Castiel could do, and it wasn't too good.

"Emmanuel," he finally answered, "my real name is Emmanuel."

"Emmanuel," Dean said, the foreign name sounding all the more lovely coming from his mouth, "Emmanuel what?" He demanded.

Castiel had already thought of this, of course, he couldn't just say "Novak", there was no way he could associate himself with the crown, especially since all the people who were part of the king's court had known names, and Emmanuel wasn't one of them. "Emmanuel Allen," he answered flawlessly, burrowing Lady Daphne's last name. She was his close friend, and definitely wouldn't mind.

Dean smirked, "well, Emmanuel, it's nice to finally get to know you," he said, "after last night I just… I couldn't leave you alone." A thought seemed to flash through his mind, "I'm… okay. I'm only in the area until next week, unfortunately, I have to go back to my... mansion later. But… can I see you again? Preferably soon," he was pleading Castiel, and his green eyes sparkled when he begged him.

It took him exactly one to think about it. Dean was leaving next week, so Castiel could be with him for that period of time, as long as he is single. And then Dean would leave and Castiel will meet his future Winchester husband and that will be that. The whole thing was almost flawless- if it weren't for Castiel having to marry someone he doesn't know.

"Yes," Castiel finally said, "I would love to see you again. I have classes until very late tonight, but I think I'm mostly free tomorrow, after my class at noon." Dean beamed at him, "I'll come here after Sammy's class, then." He turned to leave before he looked Castiel in the eyes and asked, "Why did you give me a fake name?"

Castiel bit his lip, "I… listen, Dean, I'm a respected professor in academia. If anyone knew that I am just a simple son of a tailor who got a lucky break… it wouldn't end well for me." He winced internally at the sound of his own lie flowing from his mouth so smoothly. Dean nodded once, "well, tailor's son. I'll see you tomorrow," he said, before leaning in to kiss Castiel gently on the cheek that made Castiel melt a little.

"Don't tell anyone my real name," Castiel said just as Dean started to back away. "No problem, James," he said with a wink that sent Castiel's heart into a frenzy. His students started filling the classroom several minutes later and he shook himself before he continued to work on the class schedule for the day.

***

"Samuel Wesson," Professor James called from the front of the class. It took Sam several seconds to understand he was referring to him. He gave academia a made-up name when he signed up, remembering his brother's complaints when he went to the establishment about people treating him differently because of his last name. He stuck with the first letter, but he had to change the rest. It was convenient since when he got his grades back, it only wrote Sam W at the head of the page, so his parents didn't suspect anything.

He scrambled to get up, taking his parchment and walking to the front of the class. "Yes," he said, "Yes, I have my sonnet." He opened the scroll and stood in front of the class, a little nervous but confident in his skill.

"Well, Samuel," Castiel said, "if you can please read the piece you chose and then proceed to present your opinion on it to the class. You'll have two minutes to discuss the topic, are you ready?" he asked, eyebrows raised and a smile on his lips.

Sam noticed how his teacher smiled more this class and he just knew it was thanks to Dean, even if his annoying older brother didn't say anything about what Professor James told him, he just sent Sam a half-hearted glare and said he'd come back in an hour and a half with the carriage to pick him up before the dinner.

He cleared his throat and began reciting. "Those lips that, love's own hand did make' breathed forth the sound that said 'I hate'. To me, that languished for her sake, but when she saw my woeful state, straight in her heart did mercy come, chiding that tongue that ever sweet." He paused to take a deep breath and he continued.  "Was used in giving gentle doom, and taught it thus anew to greet: 'I hate' she altered with an end, that followed it as gentle day, doth follow night, who like a fiend from heaven to hell is flown away, 'I hate' from hate away she threw,and saved my life, saying 'not you'."

Once he finished, he rolled the parchment up and steadied himself. He would be graded based on what he was about to say, and he had to get it just right.

"The sonnet," he started, addressing the class, "named 'Those lips that Love's own hand did make' and written by William Shakespeare, is not about the woman Shakespeare married. It is, in fact, about his mistress. He finds her beautiful, but she kept telling him she hated him. He's pining for her, even if she isn't the woman he is to marry. In this sonnet, she notices how miserable he is and she stops spitting harsh words at him. Instead of saying she hates him, she corrects her statement, realizing she does love him, and she finished it. She finished the 'I hate' with a 'not you', which means she does love him after all. In my opinion, she tried to drive him away, but she understands she can't because she loves him." He finishes his statement, sure he passed two minutes.

He glanced at Professor James, who gave him an odd look before he nodded and said, "Well, thank you, Samuel. Why did you choose this sonnet to analyze?" he asked. Sam smirked, "I think it's nice," he said, "that even if it isn't allowed, and she is a mistress, she still loves him, but it is sad. She loves him but can't really be with him, because she's just a mistress. There are a lot of undertones to this," he said, "I think it's interesting."

"Very well," Professor James said, "you may go back to your seat. I believe that Mr. Wesson is the last on my list. Therefore, you may all be dismissed. I will hand you all your grades tomorrow at our half-class. Goodbye," he said. Sam smiled and took his satchel before walking out of the hall.

He thought he might just get a good grade for this piece.

***

Dean was anxious. He would get to see Emmanuel. Emmanuel Allen, the tailor's son who got to become a professor at academia and the most beautiful man Dean has ever seen. And as much as seeing him again- and seeing all of him for the first time- had been wonderful, he was still nervous. He was going to see Emmanuel the next day, after Sammy's class. They're going to talk some more and Dean wished he could keep it friendly, if only his budding feelings towards Emmanuel would stop bothering him.

Emmanuel was… more than what Dean expected. He had the facial features of a Greek god and the voice of an angel who had fallen to earth, and Dean would be lucky enough to talk to him some more before their inevitable goodbye- which he didn't want to think about considering it included him meeting his future husband. However, for the time being, all he had to worry about was what would he and Emmanuel do the next day. Oh, and the stupid dinner they were having just the day before.

The people from Lucifer's court were all exceedingly annoying. In front of Dean sat Uriel- the most boring and serious person in the world. Next to him sat Gabriel, who didn't take anything seriously and just wanted to mess with everyone. To the seat next to Gabriel's was Hanna, who was weirdly devoted to Castiel and was set on giving him everything he asked for- even it if was the most ridiculous thing in the world.

Actually, everything Castiel asked for was quite simple. He seemed to want to plan their entire relationship so it would benefit both sides, which Dean was all for, and he didn't have any odd requests about their wedding night or about their housing. In fact, they sealed the conditions for their relationship during the first course in the seven-course meal.

"Castiel wishes that upon their meeting, he and the destined Winchester will have a privet conversation out of the eyes of the public," said Hanna. Dean nodded solemnly once, looked over to his mother, who nodded, and said, "Agreed."

Hanna continued, "Castiel also wishes that the relationship will only be presented to the public once every two weeks and after three months of those appearance, an added appearance at each monthly ball at the court and at all Winchester functions."

"Agreed."

"Castiel refuses to go to any events that include publicly speaking before his family or any of the Winchesters and wishes to extend this rule to the Winchester in question."

"Agreed."

"Castiel wants a relationship schedule to each family trip."

"Agreed."

"Well then, the last request Castiel wants is that all the schedules be sent to his estate. Oh, and he is willing to be seen walking from the Winchester estate five times a month, according to the relationship schedule, as long as the Winchester will be seen the same amount of times walking from his estate."  

At this, Dean raised an eyebrow, "why would he-" but he interrupted himself, his eyes widening. "Wait," he said, "we'll have to…" he trailed off. Mary quickly said, "no, no, sweetie, of course not. This is just for the public, you know. When you spend the night you don't have to do anything, I promise," she said. Dean nodded, "okay, I trust you. Agreed," he said. 

"Very well," Hanna said, "that should cover all of it. Would you like to go over anything?" she asked. Dean bit his lip as he smirked to himself, "No, that would be all."

And so, the rest of their meal passed in relative silence and meaningless small talk.

***

Castiel finished the class before his meeting with Dean early and he waited outside of the academia building, nervous and excited. In today's lesson he got the students to go over other student's chosen poems from the previous class and made them notice different perspectives. The conversation Samuel Wesson and Joshua Marks had about Samuel's poems was particularly mesmerizing and interesting, and he felt as though he did his job well.

Dean showed up to campus on a beautiful black horse Castiel saw in the stables a few times in the past. He immediately noticed Castiel and a small smirk appeared on his lips. Carefully, Castiel approached the man, his smile widening with each step. Dean got off the horse elegantly and said, "Well, look who it is."

Smiling, Castiel said, "Indeed," and stepped forward to admire Dean's horse. "This horse is spectacular," he said, looking at her from all angles and smirking. "Yeah," Dean said happily, "she's my pride and joy. Other than Sam, of course. Her name's Impala. She's a Friesian, got her when I was sixteen."

Castiel couldn't stop staring at Dean. He had a genuine smile on his face and his eyes turned soft with that small spark of love in them.   

 "I love horses," Castiel said, "My brother has a beautiful one as well. A Shire horse named Kali. He said a long time I'd get her for my wedding day, and ever since I've treated her with care, even if I don't get to see her much." He smiled a big and warm smile before he laughed and said, "Well, that's enough about our horses. What do you have planned?" he asked. Dean looked down at his hands, "well, I, uh, I didn't know what kind of stuff you like, but I have a picnic basket in Impala's saddle and there's a hidden lake I like going to sometimes… I thought… maybe…" he started fumbling with his words, an act that made Castiel smile.   

"Yes, let's," he said, holding onto Dean's forearm and trying to catch his gaze. Their eyes locked for several seconds, spreading heat and happiness through Castiel's body. Finally, Dean broke into a wide smile, "yeah, okay. Hop on, I'll take us there." He mounted Impala again and Castiel quickly followed, carelessly wrapping his arms around Dean's middle.

They rode fast. Neither could hear what the other was saying because of the harsh wind but Dean's laughs and Castiel's low chuckles carried to their ears nonetheless. Dean led them through a barely-there path in the woods until they reached an opening. He stopped Impala and dismounted her, helping Castiel down as well.

As he tied his horse to a tree he said, "My brother and I used to go here all the time," he started, "but then Sammy joined academia. So we stopped going together." He finished the tie and started walking towards the opening in between the bushes. He moved branches aside so the two of them could walk through.

The sun just started to set and lit the whole area with a golden hue that made the beautiful place seem all the more magical. There was, in fact, a huge blue lake, glistening in the light. The few lily pads and other water plants were scattered evenly on the water. The bank was covered in grass and flowers and the one large tree next to the lake had a rope tied to it. Butterflies and birds flew around and the whole thing took Castiel's breath away.

He moved slowly, careful not to ruin anything. He stopped by the lake and looked down at his reflection- the water was so clear and blue he could see every detail about himself in it. Dean walked to stand next to him, "so… you like it?" he asked. Castiel's eyes snapped to meet Dean's and he smirked, "immensely," he said.

"Great!" Dean exclaimed, lifting the whicker basket he brought up in the air, "let's sit down, eat some sandwiches and talk about our lives."

***

"I am not familiar with that game," Castiel said, his eyes closing under the touch of Dean's hand caressing his hair. Dean laughed a deep, long and happy laugh that made Castiel's heart flutter in his chest. "Well," Dean started, looking down into Castiel's eyes, "I ask you a question, you answer, then you ask me, and then I answer. It's pretty straightforward."

Castiel knitted his eyebrows together, "then why call it twenty questions? What is the purpose of the twenty?" he asked. Dean smirked, "it doesn't _have_ a purpose. We could play thirty six questions if you really wanted," he said. Castiel nodded solemnly, "alright. My first question is… how long have you lived here? In the area, that is?" he asked.

Dean took a deep breath, "I've lived here all my life, actually. So did my old man. My mom moved here after she married my dad." There were a few silent moments in which Dean stroked Castiel's hair a bit more before he asked, "so why academia? Why would you not want be a tailor like your dad?"

 "I never wanted to follow my father's footsteps. Besides, I barely knew him to want to be anything like him. Being a professor… fulfils me. It makes me feel as if I'm making a difference and I love being able to do what I love where I love. It gets a little hard sometimes though, because who I am and how I act."

There was silence for a few more minutes before Castiel asked in a whisper, "what about you? What do you want to do? Surely you don't want to stay a hunter all your life." Dean chuckled, defusing some of the tension that somehow built between them, "no, I don't. Actually, I've always wanted… since I was really young I loved horses, you know? Impala… she's amazing. I love taking care of her and training her and riding her but… you know I'm a hunter. And hunters aren't stable boys, because stable boys are at the bottom of the ladder, so I never tried to become one."

"You could try and train the royal horses at the court, right?" Castiel asked, looking up at the now brightly-shining stars. Dean laughed, "Yeah, I'm not a fan of the king's court. Actually, I live in the area that belongs to the house of Winchester. I pass the border so often they gave me something called a 'passport'. It's got a drawing of me on it and all kinds of crap."

Castiel laughed, "I'm familiar with passports," he said. His heart ached a little when he thought about Dean not wanting to ever go to court- he wanted to give him a tour, show him around the capital, and maybe even sneak him into the castle if he could. But now, that notion seemed preposterous and stupid, to even suggest that a hunter from house of Winchester go into the court's land, with Castiel Novak- a soon-to-be husband of a Winchester.

"My turn," Dean says, "If you could live anywhere in the world. And I mean seriously anywhere, where would it be?" he asked. Castiel thought of the question for a second before he grinned and said, "I wouldn't mind living here," he said, "there's a bush of barriers and some edible plants around here and sleeping under the stars everyday would be magical." He laughed at how cheesy he sounded, and Dean joined in with his own little chuckle. "Fair enough," he said, "your turn."

***

"What's you favorite food?"

"Easy- pie. My turn."

"Pie hardly counts."

" _Excuse_ me? Of course it counts."

"It's a dessert."

"You're a dessert."

"Wow."

"Be quiet, I'm not good with comebacks."

"Fine, fine, I'll accept."

"Damn well you will."

***

"I am _not_ sharing that information with you, Dean!"

"Oh, come on! Your first time couldn't have been that embarrassing…"

"No! It's too embarrassing."

"Pleeeease?"

"No."

"Emmanuel…"

"Okay, okay. I got in and I was so awkward. I was sweating I was so nervous and when I introduced myself my voice came out chocked and the rest of the class went by and when I walked out I noticed that I taught that entire lesson with no pants."

"Oh- oh _wow._ That's _hilarious,_ oh my god. Gimme… Gimme a second…"

"Stop laughing!"

"I… sorry I… I can't." 

***

"What about your father?"

"Oh, shit, man, that's a coal mine of crap. He's a good man, I swear. But he… he has a bit of a temper. And he fights with Sammy all the damn time."

"I'd like to meet him some day."

"My dad or Sammy?"

"Both."

"Believe me, you don't. Sammy will annoy you with nerdy questions and my old man will try and poison you."

"Well then."

***

"Okay, okay, last question!" Dean exclaimed, a smile that hadn't come off for about an hour stretched on his face.

"You said that at question thirty five," Castiel mentioned, but made no other objections.

Dean chuckled, a sound familiar to Castiel by now, "Yeah, okay, but I mean it this time." Castiel shook his head, a small smirk playing on his lips, "Fine, ask me."

"Can I see you again?"

Castiel froze. He wasn't ready for that. The obvious answer would be _yes, I would, very much. And maybe next time we could more than just talk._ But Castiel couldn't bring himself to say it, so he just didn't reply.

Dean bit his lower lip, an adorable look of nervousness on his face, "Well?"

When the words came out of Castiel's mouth, they were jumbled and slightly stuttered, "I… I want to see you once more. It's just… it's complicated."

"What's complicated? We've done nothing but talk for the past couple of hours and I like you. And you would've left a long time ago if you didn't like me. It only makes sense that we'll see each other again," he said, moving towards Castiel, their legs pressed together from their hipbones to their ankles, and he looked into Castiel's eyes with a begging look.

He had no fighting chance, "okay," Castiel said faintly, "yes, yes, I would like to see you again." Any doubts Castiel had flew out the window at the brightness of Dean's smile, "yeah?" he asked, as if he didn't believe Castiel. "Of course," he replied, and Dean's smile grew impossibly bigger.

"I'll come pick you up after class tomorrow, then?" he asked, getting up and wiping the dirt off his clothes. He helped Castiel up, their faces suddenly incredibly close. Dean's smile shrunk to a playful smirk and he had a spark in his eyes that Castiel couldn't help but stare at. "Yes," he breathed, and when he breathed in, he smelled Dean- a faint smell of leather and the forest and horses that made Castiel smile.

The emotions on Dean's face were indecipherable, but he didn't let go of Castiel's hands in a few good seconds, still looking into Castiel's eyes, so maybe he was thinking about what Castiel was thinking. And then, Dean's eyes flickered, just for a split second, to Castiel's lips, that when they returned the emotion in them was as clear as it would ever be.

Neither knew who moved first, but their lips locked within a millisecond, so maybe they both moved at the same time. The kiss tasted like each other, hot and affectionate. Castiel sighed in content and breathed in more of Dean's addictive scent. The kiss lasted a few seconds before they parted, their breath curling around them in the slightly-cool air. "Well then," Dean said, "come on, let's get you back home." He started walking towards where Impala had been laying in the grass, being untied long ago but trusted to stay.

"Actually," Castiel said, "If you could drop me off at academia, it would be nice. I have to go over the material for tomorrow's lesson," he said, hoping his voice wasn't shaking with the lie. Dean smiled, "sure thing," he said.

***

Spending an entire evening with Emmanuel- talking and laughing and the way they kissed each other goodbye- put Dean in an amazing mood.

At least, until he got back to the mansion.

Everyone was in a frenzy- running around like chickens with their heads chopped off and making an incredible amount of noise. The second Dean stepped into the welcome hall, silence spread. "There he is!" screamed a servant all of a sudden, causing another burst of noise, pointing and gesturing wildly at Dean. In a second, he was grabbed by two large men who lifted him up and carried him through the hall, to the crown room.

He was dropped off and the whicker basket he was carrying was taken away from him.

When he looked up, a small crowd of people stood silently in front of him, all staring at his wrinkled clothes. His parents, wearing their house robes and crowns, sat in their thrones and Sam was sat in the chair next to Mary's, also dressed in royal robes. Around them were other counselors and important house members and to their left stood-

Dean quickly bowed a full bow, waiting a few seconds before he straightened himself. "King Lucifer, Queen Naomi," he said, taking in the appearance of the king. He wore his own royal robes, making him look even more powerful. He had a large golden crown on his head and his wife, Queen Naomi, stood beside him, holding onto his arm. She wore an elegant and expensive-looking dress and her own large golden crown.

"Dean Winchester," Lucifer said, a smirk playing on his lips, "may I ask where you were?" he asked. Dean put on his lord smile and nodded, "of course. I spent the evening with a friend." Lucifer lifted an eyebrow, "and what friend would this be?" he asked.

"Emmanuel Allen," he said, slightly scared that the name would sound familiar to the king and then mentally slapping himself since of course the king wouldn't know the son of a tailor who changed his name. Lucifer smiled, "very well. We were all worried we wouldn't find you in time." From the look on his mother's face, Dean could see that this was true.

"And why," Dean said bravely, "if you don't mind me asking, were you looking for me?" he asked.

Lucifer's smile grew, "there has been a change of plans regarding your arrangement with Castiel." He said. Dean didn't let himself show the hopefulness that filled him, but he nodded, "very well, what change?" he asked.

"Our citizens are angry," Lucifer said, "and we don't have a week and a half to delay the process of appeasing them. We would like to throw the ball tomorrow night," he said, and any hopeful thought Dean had disappeared in a second and was replaced by a sour feeling. "Tomorrow?" he asked; his voice suddenly tight.

Lucifer nodded, "indeed. Your agreements have been signed and we've ordered the servants of both houses to work together until tomorrow. You will be taken into preparations in a minute. Good thing you two agreed on so many things, right?" he asked with a smile that tried _way_ too hard to be nice. The king then snapped his fingers and Dean was taken again, this time to meet with some woman in charge of dressing him for meeting his future husband for the first time. 

"Here's all you need to know about Castiel for your first meeting," said Hanna from next to him, "he loves reading. No one knows what he reads, but it is public knowledge that he has thousands of books in his library. He enjoys elegant meals ion the roof of the castle and doesn't mind public speaking, even if it makes him a little nervous if there's someone he knows well in the crowd. Safe topics of conversations are literature, some members of his family, and religion."

"Sounds boring," Dean said. He was feeling especially groggy as the woman deciding on his outfit measured him. Hannah sighed, "Please don't express your inner thoughts out loud, thank you. The rest of your schedule is mainly dance practice, going to a hair dresser and practicing manners," she said.

Dean sighed, "Fine," he said, not caring about the whole dog and pony show but instead thinking about how soft Emmanuel's lips were. It made him feel sick knowing he won't ever get to feel them again, but he didn't express those inner thoughts out loud.

***

Ten minutes. That's all the preparation time Castiel got. He woke up, went to academia, came back at the afternoon for his break and was nearly tackled the second he walked in the castle.

"Castiel!" Hannah screamed from a distance. Castiel turned just in time to catch Hannah scream, "What on _earth_ are you wearing? Get dressed immediately!" before she started shoving him up a flight of stairs.  

 "What? Why?" he asked and immediately, Hannah stopped. Her eyes glowed angrily and she gritted out, "damn Balthazar," before she held Castiel's face between her hands. "Castiel, listen carefully," she said, "The Winchester family will be here in ten minutes. The ball was moved to tonight. Did Balthazar not tell you? There were no servants this morning in the dining hall, you must've noticed."

Panic filled Castiel, "I didn't go to the dining hall! I never do. I eat my breakfast at academia. What do you mean, ten minutes?" he asked. "I mean," she said, letting go of his face and resuming the dragging motion she was inflicting a minute ago, "that you will meet your future husband in ten minutes. Come on, we have to put you in a suit and clean you up as much as we- damn!" she said, shoving him into a room, "Daphne, we have no time- make sure he's presentable. Okay, I must go."

Daphne chuckled but sat Castiel down, beginning the operation of shaving him. In a minute, three more servants walked into the room. One of them started washing Castiel hair, putting him in an odd angle for Daphne to shave him. The other was dressing his bottom half, shining his shoes and straightening the already freakishly-straight pants.

Daphne finished shaving him and disappeared for a minute before coming back with a list. "Okay, so we don't have much time for briefing, but you know how to dance and be polite or whatever, so here are some safe conversation topics for your first meeting. You can talk about the Winchester land and inner politics, music- but only certain music, and you can talk about his brother." She disappeared in a second, so fast Castiel blinked and she was gone. He didn't even get to ask for the man's name.

The servant that cut his hair was now drying it and in a minute he was being maneuvered into the top of an entirely too expensive-looking suit. His jacket was buttoned and he was shoved out of the room into Hannah's hands. "Good enough," she said, "let's go. They've crossed the border. It will take them literally a minute to be here." She then proceeded to shove Castiel onto a stage in the royal ballroom.

The space was decorated beautifully- the regular drapes replaced with the dark blue royal ones and a large, sparkling chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Servants were walking about, carrying trays of food and drinks and most of the guests, dressed in their best clothes, were already dancing to the music the orchestra was playing. The whole thing would've taken Castiel's breath away, if he could breathe at all.

His thoughts were racing. He wouldn't see Dean again. He would meet his husband and Dean would see that he wasn't waiting for him and give up on him and, oh god. Castiel was about to spend the rest of his life with the person who will walk out of-

Where were the Winchesters coming in from?

Castiel turned just in time to catch the eye of a handsome green-eyed man.

Dean Wesson.

The _hunter._

Dean _Winchester._ The _lord._

Castiel nearly fell off the stage.

The other man seemed to be in the same stage of shock, his mouth opened slightly. _Emmanuel?_ He mouthed silently from where he stood at the top of the twisting staircase leading to the stage.      

There was silence in the ballroom, the orchestra stopped playing and everyone's eyes were on Dean and Castiel.

Dean started walking down the staircase, followed by his parents and- oh no. Samuel Wesson, Castiel's top pupil. Sam was staring at him as well, his eyes wide and surprised. The whole family moved down the stairs slowly, obviously following some tradition that wasn't important at the moment.

And then Dean was _there._ Standing right in front of Castiel.

He bowed and straightened and Castiel followed; his mind completely blank. "It's a pleasure to meet you," Castiel said, his voice weirdly normal considering the circumstances. "Likewise," said Dean, his voice a little weaker than Castiel heard before. The music started playing again and Dean's parents introduced themselves to Castiel, followed by Sam, who stuttered his name and greeting.

Castiel was just about to talk to Dean when Hannah pulled him away. Lucifer was waiting for him backstage. "Excellent performance," Lucifer said, true pride radiating off of him, "I was nearly convinced you've just experienced love at first sight. So what will happen next is that they are positioning four thrones on the stage and then you will give a speech about welcoming the Winchesters and then Dean will speak and he will invite you to dance. You will do nothing but dance and make eye contact, clear? Good," he said, not waiting for Castiel to reply, "After a few more courtesy dances, you may retire to have your conversation. Alright, let's go."

Castiel spoke, parroting the speech he wrote for himself, not thinking about the words. Dean spoke, but Castiel couldn't hear a thing. All he could think was _this must be a joke._ He even pinched himself once to make sure he wasn't dreaming. He wasn't. It was actually happening.

He danced with Dean, and they moved perfectly together, just like at the masquerade ball, which felt like ages ago. He couldn't speak, so he just looked into Dean's eyes like Lucifer asked and shut his mouth.

He danced with other people too. They moved smoothly but it was not thanks to Castiel. He was too concentrated on Dean, who was staring back at him, than to say anything. After five dances he was dragged away by Hannah, who led him to the main stage. "Lean in," Lucifer commanded quietly. Castiel obeyed.

"You're doing great," Lucifer praised, "you two won't stop looking at each other. I find it amusing. Good job. Go wait in the office. He'll join you in a short while." Lucifer then gently moved Castiel away, who bowed and walked off after Hannah.

He was left alone in the office, pacing from wall to wall, his mind clouded with thoughts. Dean was brought in by a servant, who then left them alone. A few silent moments passed before Dean took a deep breath and said in a sharp tone, "What. The. Fuck."

Castiel didn't laugh. This was good, because Dean kept on talking. " _You're_ Castiel? I'm supposed to marry you! And… and you said your name was James. And then you said it was Emmanuel and… fuck. What's going on?" he asked, staring into Castiel's eyes.

"Well… I'm not sure," he said, "but… I feel like I owe you an explanation."

"No shit," Dean gritted out. Castiel sent him a glare and Dean was gracious enough to look down.

Castiel rubbed his forehead, "at the ball… I didn't want anyone to know who I am. I wanted to tell you, I really did, but I knew I couldn't, because I was going to meet my future husband in a week and get married to him. And you didn't tell me your last name! And… And Sam is registered as Samuel _Wesson,_ a family with no connection to the houses as far as I knew. And then you came to see me, and I panicked because I still thought that I was going to marry someone with the last name Winchester and I lied again. But… what we talked about yesterday… all of that was real, I swear."

Dean stared at him for a few long minutes.

"Well," he said, "that settles it. Your name really is Castiel Novak?" he asked. Castiel nodded, "I swear on… on pie." Dean bit his lip, obviously hiding a smile. "Good," he said and then they were kissing again. It took Dean three whole minutes after that, but he said, "Even though it's not my turn, I wanted to ask you this for what feels like forever- will you go out with me on a proper date?"

"Yes."

***

Castiel and Dean Winchester's wedding was an amazing event. Their daughter, Mary-Ellen, was their flower girl and almost everyone from the Novak and Winchester houses came to their estate for the occasion. The reception was themed for a masquerade ball and the party afterwards was glorious and held at Lucifer's castle. But, without a doubt, Dean and Castiel's favorite part was their vows.  

"James," Dean began his vows, "Emmanuel, Castiel, whoever. I love you. I feel as if not enough people say that in their vows. I wanted this whole speech to be 'I love you's but Sammy butted in and now I have to say some other stuff too.

"Cas, you're the love of my life. I've felt the first budding feeling of love towards you the first time we danced. I felt it grow during our first kiss, first date, first everything. I felt it yesterday when you freaked out about your suit and I even feel it right now, ad-libbing my vows, because our love has no bounds. If it's the stupid wall they wanted to build all that time ago or if it's moving between our houses for six months before I moved in.

"I love you so much, Cas, and I can't even start to explain the feelings I get whenever I see you, bleary-eyed from sleep in the morning or tired at night or ecstatic whenever we go out on our horse rides, which Kali can know join. I love you."    

People clapped, some cheers were heard, and then Castiel started to speak.

"Mr. Wesson, you are amazing. For the past eight years I found that you are so good and pure I don't think there are enough positive adjectives to describe you. I'm so grateful for every moment in our life together. I'm grateful for the smile you get whenever you hold Mary-Ellen's hand. I'm grateful that I got to see the look of pure joy on your face when we first saw Mary-Ellen out in the world. I'm grateful for every sappy moment and even though I'm, as you say, better with words between the two of us, I can't for the life of me finish these vows right. So I hope you remember it's my turn since yesterday, for question two thousand, four hundred, eighty seven. Will you take me to be your husband, already?"

Dean's face broke into a wide smile, "oh, yes."  

It felt so much like when Castiel proposed that they both smiled and the priest quickly recovered, asking Castiel if he's willing to take Dean as his husband.

"Obviously, I do," he said and before the priest could tell them they could kiss Dean wrapped Castiel up in his arms and kissed him.

Castiel moved slightly so he could whisper against Dean's lips, "at least now it's finally my turn in an exciting way."

And Dean didn't get, but it didn't matter, because Castiel was kissing him again and he never could think straight when that happened.       

        

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you liked this, leave a kudos or a comment or (if you're feeling extra brave) bookmark this :)  
> It's been crazy writing this and I want to thank to all those people in the original fic for the support- seriously, you're great!


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